Famous Coptic Monuments
The Hanging Church
The Hanging Church is located in the old Cairo district, in the important Egyptian Coptic area of Cairo. It is close to the Mosque of Amr Ibn Al-Aas, It is considered the oldest church in the area of Al Fustat . Called Al Muallaqa (the hanging) because it was built up on ruins of two old towers left from the old fortress called the fortress of Babylon .It was dedicated to The Virgin Mary and St. Dimiana.
It dates back to the end of the 3rd century AD and the beginning of the 4th century A.D, but it was reconstructed and renovated several times.Some historians believe that it was built earlier, as it was a Roman Temple converted to Roman Church.....
Church of St. Sergio
It was built in the center of the Ancient Roman fort of Babylon. The church is considered as one of the sites visited by the Holly Family during their escape from herod to the land of Egypt. The church most probably dates back to the 5 century, although some historians believe that it was built in the 8th century.
We are not sure of the origin of Saint Sergius, Since in the history of the Coptic Church, there are two Saints with the same name, the first one was Egyptian, he died together with his father and his sister at the time of the intense Christian persecution and now the people celebrate his memory every year on the 7th of February.....
Church of St. Barbara
The church of St. Barbara is one of the oldest and most rem arkable churches in Cairo. It is situated on the eastern part of the Babylon fort. It dates back to the 5th century and was rebuilt again around the 11th century. It was named after St. Barbara who was born in the beginning of the 3rd century in Nicomedia in Asia Minor.
She converted to Christianity...
The Monastery of Saint Catherine
Since the early Christian Period , South Sinai was of a great attraction for the Christian monks .
The Monasticism was as an escape from the Roman violence spread in the 4th century A.D. Especially in Firan Valley , El Tur , and Mount Moses, those who have fled the roman persecutions have taken shelter in various area in Egypt , particularly those area where near water sources...
The Monastery of St. Paul
St. Paul was born in Alexandria in 228 AD. While he was still a teenager his father died, so he decided to become a hermit, living a simple life.
At the age of 16 he became a Christian and then escaped Alexandria to avoid the Roman persecution.
According to one story, God send him an angel who guided him to the western desert, where he would live alone as a hermit.
The same story relates how God sent him a crow everyday, which carried half a loaf of bread. One day St. Anthony joined him, and when the crow came, it had a full loaf of bread. St. Paul then realized that it was God who had sent St. Anthony, after 80 years of being worshipped in solitude.....
Ben Ezra Synagogue
The Ben Ezra Synagogue ,sometimes referred to as the El-Geniza Synagogue or the Synagogue of the Levantines ,situated behind The Hanging Church. It is an old building with inscription in Hebrew on the wooden door telling us, that it was built in 336 B.C. It has a copy of the Old Testament It is said that it was written by Ezra the Prophet (Al Azir).
The site of the Synagogue was where the box of Baby Moses, the Prophet stopped after his mother threw him into the Nile. The synagogue is still used today and the word means Judaic temple .
It means in the Encyclopedia Britannica A prayer place for the Jews ....
The Monastery of St.Antonius
Believed to have been originally constructed in the 4th century AD, the Monastery of St. Anthony is located at the foot of Khelsm Mountain overlooking the Red Sea.
It is almost 12 km south of Zafarana city, and is thought to be the site is where
St. Anthony once lived in a cave, next to a well.
St. Anthony was the first monk to move to this wilderness and the first to create a monastic community in Coptic Egypt.....
The Monastery of St.Simon
The Monastery of Saint Simon, also known as the Cave Church, is located in the Mokattam mountain in southeastern Cairo, Egypt, in an area that is known as ‘garbage city’ because of the large population of garbage collectors or Zabbaleen that live there.
The Zabbaleen are descendants of farmers who started migrating from Upper Egypt to Cairo in the 1940s. Fleeing poor harvests and poverty they came to the city looking for work and set-up makeshift settlements around the city.....
The citadel of Saladin
Saladin began construction of a fortress over Mount Mokattam in a place known as the Dome of the Air (Qubbat Al Hawa). But he did not complete it in his life. But completed by Sultan Al-Kamel bin Al-Adel. The first king was the king and took it as king's palace. And it continued so until the era of Muhammad Ali...
The Citadel of Qaitbay
The Qaitbay Citadel in Alexandria is considered one of the most important defensive strongholds not only in Egypt but also on the Mediterranean Sea coast. It formulated an important part of the fortification system of Alexan dria in the 15th century AD. This citadel was established by the sultan Al Ashraf Abou El Nasr Seif Eldin Qaitbay Alzohairy...
